I try not to traipse down Memory Lane in talking with others because it’s a sign of old age. At the same time, I enjoy living and talking about what’s going on in the present. For example, today a woman, a senior, dropped by the former banquet room of the historic Eagle Hotel and told me about her dental problem, which is much like my dental problem. She then said something very revelatory, which is that there are more dental problems with upper teeth than there are with lower teeth because the upper teeth are directly connected to the bone. The lower teeth are in the jaw.

This was pretty revelatory for me because my dental issues have mainly been centered in the upper teeth. Hmm, I should probably get a bone density scan.

How come my dentist hasn’t mentioned this to me? It’s not because he doesn’t care, I am sure. It most likely has to do with the fact that I am one of many patients, and as he sees it, his job is simply to fix what’s wrong. This is so wrong.

The reason for this is, of course, because he has to pay his bills and so he can’t take on fewer patients. Now if he did have this option I suspect he’d keep me because I am a huge money maker for him.

I did not go into all this in the conversation that I was having with this particular person. This was because there wasn’t enough time on their part.

But this did give me something that is very much in the present to think about.

I also spoke to others about our hay situation. Our barn is now almost full. Pete went and got 102 bales and will get 80 more. So we’ll be set for another winter. I am, as I always am, relieved. I am not relieved about the fact that the price was $20.00 per bale of hay.

Now the common refrain seems to be, “Now everything is expensive.” This is a truism and one that we here at Squalor Holler circumvent by being fairly frugal. I say fairly because I do wince when getting an ice cream cone and then finding out it cost $9.00.

I do understand that high prices are a result of poor economic management on the part of Republicans.

Tonight I articulated to Pete what I had been struggling with for some time, which is, if say, we lose a war with the other super powers, what sort of government will we have?

I’ve been in the moment as I’ve been reading a graphic novel about E.O. Wilson, a preeminent sociobiologist. I think that this is what he’d like to be called. This is one of the best books I have ever read. And being a graphic novel, it provides me with an entrance into his life and work. I do not know if I’ll be able to read his other works.

He died in 2021. I think he’d agree with me about the importance of living in the present.

Next: 243. 9/12/26: Fall